MANHATTAN, Kansas – Kansas State junior guard Serena Sundell has added to her preseason honors, as she has been named as one of the 20 point guards in the nation selected for the 2023-24 Nancy Lieberman Point Guard of the Year Award – an award that recognizes the top point guards in women’s college basketball.
Sundell is the first Wildcat to be named to the Lieberman Award watch list since Kayla Goth in the 2018-19 season.
Now in its 24th year, the award recognizes the top point guard in women’s NCAA Division I college basketball. A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates. To be considered for this prestigious award, candidates must exhibit the floor leadership, playmaking, and ball-handling skills of Class of 1996 Hall-of-Famer Nancy Lieberman.
Fans are encouraged to participate in Fan Voting, presented by Dell Technologies, in each of the three rounds starting Friday, October 20. In late January, the watch list of 20 players for the 2024 Nancy Liberman Award will be narrowed to 10, and then in late February to just five. In March, the five finalists will be presented to Lieberman and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee, where a winner will be selected.
The 2024 Nancy Lieberman Award winner will be presented on a to be determined date, along with the other four members of the Women’s Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award (Shooting Guard), Cheryl Miller Award (Small Forward), Katrina McClain Award (Power Forward) and the Lisa Leslie Award (Center), in addition to the Men’s Starting Five.
Other candidates for the award are: Caitlin Clark of Iowa, Olivia Miles of Notre Dame, McKenna Hofschild of Colorado State, Lauren Park-Lane of Mississippi State, Rori Harmon of Texas, Shyanne Sellers of Maryland, Nika Muhl of UConn, Dyaisha Fair of Syracuse, Deja Kelly of North Carolina, Emily Ryan of Iowa State, Jaylyn Sherrod of Colorado, Te-Hina PaoPao of South Carolina, Makenna Marisa of Penn State, Sarah Andrews of Baylor, Zakiyah Franklin of Kansas, Makira Cook of Illinois, Georgia Amoore of Virginia Tech, Kaylynn Truong of Gonzaga and Jacy Sheldon of Ohio State.
Kansas State will face five of the candidates – Clark, Harmon, Ryan, Andrews, Franklin – during its 2023-24 schedule and possibly a sixth – Kelly – in the Gulf Coast Showcase.
Sundell expanded upon her debut season in 2021-22 with an exemplary 2022-23 campaign, as she carded career season-highs in a number of categories including: scoring (501; 13.9 ppg), field goals made (157), field goal percentage (.489), free throws made and attempted (165-of-206), rebounding (174; 4.8 rpg), blocks (26; 0.7 bpg) and steals (67; 1.9 spg). Sundell’s 184 assists last season set the school record for assists in a sophomore season and ranked sixth-most for a season in program history.
Sundell set the school records for free throws made and attempted in a season with 165-of-206.
The native of Maryville, Missouri, ranked 11th in scoring in the Big 12, fourth in assists (5.11 apg), fifth in steals (1.86 spg), ninth in assist/turnover percentage (1.48), 10th in minutes played per game (33.42), 10th in free throw percentage (.801) and 11thin blocks per game (0.71 bpg).
With her two-season total of 852 points and 360 assists, Sundell is the first Wildcat in program history to register 850 or more points and 350 or more assists by the conclusion of their sophomore season. With 148 points, Sundell would become the 45thplayer in program history with 1,000 or more career points.
Sundell’s career assist total of 360 ranks 12th on the K-State career assists list. She has led K-State in assists in 56 of her 69 career games.
K-State will begin the 2023-24 season with an exhibition game on Friday, November 3, against Pittsburg State at 6:30 p.m. The Wildcats will kick off the non-conference portion of its schedule on Monday, November 6, against Presbyterian at 6:30 p.m.
K-State women’s basketball season tickets for the 2023-24 season are available now for purchase. For more information on season ticket packages for the Wildcats’ home schedule, contact the K-State Athletics Ticket Office by calling 1-800-221-CATS or visit www.kstatesports.com/tickets.
About Nancy Lieberman:
Playing hoops on the rough-and-tumble Harlem courts, Brooklyn-bred Nancy Lieberman learned to play a physical, aggressive style of basketball unlike other women of her time. As a 5’10” point guard, Lieberman was taller than many of the guards of her era, and her ability to drive to the hoop, dish out assists, and grab hard-fought rebounds served her well during her stellar career. She compiled over 2,400 points, 1,100 rebounds, and 961 assists as she led the Lady Monarchs to a 125-15 record, 1 WNIT Title and back to back National Championships in 1979 and 1980 (102-6 her last 3 years).
Before her illustrious career began at ODU, Nancy made the 1975 USA Pan Am team that won the Gold Medal in Mexico City she was a high school junior at Far Rockaway High School at the time. In 1976, as a member of the USA’s first Women’s Olympic Team which won the Silver Medal, Lieberman made history by being the youngest Olympian in basketball ever, male or female (which still stands today). Lieberman then led Old Dominion University to back-to-back AIAW national championships in 1979 and 1980. She was twice named the Wade Trophy winner — a basketball first as the nation’s top female athlete during those two seasons, 3-time All-American. Lieberman was the two-time winner of the Broderick Cup as well., Lieberman played professionally in the first women’s pro league in the WBL 1980-81 and in 1984 in the WABA. Earning WBL MVP honors with the Dallas Diamonds in 1981, she led the team to the 1984 WABA championship and was league MVP.
In 1986, she signed to be the first woman to play in a men’s professional league in the USBL with the Springfield Fame, and in 1987, with the Long Island Knights. She joined the 1987 Harlem Globetrotter world tour with the Washington Generals. 1997 Lieberman made history in the inaugural season of the WNBA, playing for the Phoenix Mercury at the age of 39, and in 2008, playing for the Detroit Shock at age 50! Her coaching career started in 1998 as the Head Coach/GM for the Detroit Shock, taking the Shock to the playoffs in year two. In 2011, she was the first female head coach hired in the NBA D-League for the Dallas Mavericks affiliate, the Texas Legends, and led them to the playoffs. In 2015, she became only the second woman hired as an assistant coach in the NBA with the Sacramento Kings. She was named a recipient of the 2017 Mannie Jackson Basketball’s Human Spirit Award for her on-going philanthropic work across the country through her Nancy Lieberman Charities, changing the lives of underserved youth across the country. In 2018 Nancy Lieberman became the first female head coach in a men’s’s professional league with the BIG3 League for Team Power. Nancy led team Power to a 2018 Championship victory and was selected Coach of the Year, becoming the first female in history to be awarded Coach of the Year. Follow Nancy on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook @Nancylieberman and go to nancyliebermancharities.org for more information.